Why is a file not imported or the project not saved?

Summary

Some problems when importing point clouds into TCP-PointCloud Editor do not depend on the content of the file, but on what the file is called or where it is imported from. It is not a problem of the E57 format: it happens with any point cloud format and even with files whose content is not a cloud. This article covers two documented situations: a file that opens in other programs but not in TCP-PointCloud Editor because of special characters (accents, ñ) in the path or because it is imported from a network or cloud-sync folder; and a project that cannot be saved after importing a cloud whose name ends in a blank space.

Applies to

• TCP-PointCloud Editor (POINTCLOUD). The tickets do not state a version number.

• Any point cloud format —the documented cases are E57— and even other file types: the problem lies in the name and the path, not in the format.

Symptoms

• A file exported from other point cloud registration software cannot be opened in TCP-PointCloud Editor, even though it does open correctly in other applications.

• When importing a large E57 point cloud file, the import seems to hang for a while and, although it finally finishes, the project cannot be saved (not even with "Save as").

Cause

Depending on the case:

• Special characters or path location: the file path contains special characters (accents, ñ, umlauts) in the name of some folder, which prevents correct importing. Importing from local network paths or from shared folders of cloud sync services can also cause problems.

• Blank space at the end of the name: when the name of the point cloud file ends in a blank space, importing creates a drawing layer with that same name. As layer names cannot start or end with a space, an error occurs when saving the project.

Solution

Case: the file does not open (special characters or network/cloud path)

1. Check that the folder names in the file path contain only a-z/A-Z letters, numbers or valid symbols such as the hyphen - and the underscore _. Avoid accents, ñ (ñ/Ñ) and umlauts.

2. Avoid importing files from local network paths or from shared cloud sync folders (for example, Dropbox).

3. Copy the file to a simple path, for example C:\Temp, and import it from there.

Case: the project cannot be saved after importing (trailing space in the name)

1. Before importing, rename the file of the point cloud removing the blank spaces at the beginning and at the end of the name (the space before the extension counts too).

2. Import the cloud again with the corrected name and save the project.

If the problem persists

• About importing large E57 files: during the process it is normal for the progress bar to appear to stop for a while (for example, around 50 %) while the program works with the disk; after a few minutes it continues and finishes. If even so it does not finish, leave the import running for as long as needed and, if the problem continues, contact Aplitop technical support.

• The improvement in compatibility with special characters (accented letters, ñ, etc.) and the fix for saving with names containing spaces have been addressed in the application code, but the documented cases do not state from which version they are resolved: it is advisable to keep applying the above recommendations in any case.

• Saving failures usually have to do with the destination folder: save the project in a path local to the computer, not synchronised and with no special characters in any part of the path.

• If the file opens in other applications but not in TCP-PointCloud Editor and you have ruled out the points above, contact Aplitop technical support and state the full path of the file.

Category: Data import and export · Level: Basic